Hello and welcome to the Q4 Fiscal 2016 DineEquity Earnings Conference Call. My name is Jason and I will be your operator. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. Later we will conduct a question-and-answer session and please note this conference is being recorded. I will now turn the call over to Ken Diptee. Mr. Diptee, you may begin.

Good morning and welcome to DineEquity’s fourth quarter and fiscal 2016 conference call. I am joined by Julia Stewart, Chairman and CEO; Richard Dahl, Lead Director; Tom Emrey, CFO; Darren Rebelez, President of IHOP; and Gregg Kalvin, Corporate Controller. Before I turn the call over to Julia, please remember our Safe Harbor regarding forward-looking information. During the call management may discuss information that is forward-looking and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be substantially different than those expressed or implied. We caution you to evaluate such forward-looking information in the context of these factors which are detailed in today’s press release and 10-K filings. The forward-looking statements are made as of today and assumes no obligation to update or supplement these statements. We may also refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures which are described in our press release and also available on DineEquity’s Investor Relations. I will now turn the call over to Julia.

Thank you, Ken, and good morning everyone. We certainly appreciate you joining us today. We have a slightly different format this quarter. As you know, I recently announced my decision to step down as Chairman and CEO of DineEquity. I’m very proud to have lead this company and been part of its historic transformation over the last 16 years. We have always been focused on delivering shareholder value. We successfully turned around IHOP early in my tenure and then did it again in 2013. We acquired and subsequently re-franchised Applebee’s and in the process, created a fully-franchised DineEquity. Additionally, we completed a $1.4 billion securitization refinancing, which enabled a significantly lower fixed interest rate and, thereby, allowed for greater financial flexibility. It’s an incredible story and it’s been an incredible journey. It is widely known that my first job was as a food server at an IHOP in San Diego. It was then that I first fell in love with this industry. It is an industry where we have the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives by providing them a place to gather with family and friends for great food and service. The restaurant industry, which is the second-largest employer in the private sector, provides millions of opportunities for a first job and millions more as a career. Those of us that work in hospitality truly enjoy serving others. I’ve spent my entire career in this great industry and these last 16 years have been both incredible challenging and rewarding. And it’s provided me with experience and accomplishments I will long savor as I move on. Before I turn the call over to Richard, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my senior leadership team, all of our talented team members, our valued vendor partners, and committed franchisees for your tireless hard work as we created one of the world’s largest full-service restaurant companies with two iconic brands, both number one in their respective categories for the last nine years. Looking ahead, I’m confident in the well-researched and detailed plan we have created for Applebee’s, which coupled with the many strategic initiatives at IHOP will continue to best position DineEquity for a bright and successful future. I am looking forward to seeing the DineEquity team and its franchisees take both brands to new heights in the years to come. Lastly, I want to extend my sincere thanks to the many investors and analysts on this call. It has been a privilege and my pleasure to have worked with all of you. I have no doubt our paths will cross again soon. With that I will turn the call over to Richard.

Thank you, Julia, and good morning, everyone. On behalf of our entire Board of Directors and senior management, I would like to take a moment to thank Julia for her 16 years of valued and committed service to DineEquity, our franchisees, and our shareholders. Julia has been a visionary and a strong leader, who has made numerous and lasting contributions to the Company. She led the successful turnaround of IHOP earlier in her tenure and again in 2013. She spearheaded the acquisition and refinancing of Applebee’s company-operated restaurants, driving the transition to a fully-franchised business model. The Board wishes her continued success in her future endeavors. Thanks again, Julia. As you may have seen this morning, we issued a release announcing the resignation of Tom Emrey as our CFO, effective March 15, 2015. Tom has been a valued member of the DineEquity executive team for more than five years and recently shared with me his desire to return to the consumer products group as the CFO of Munchkin, a privately-held global infant products brand. I want to personally thank Tom for the unconditional commitment and dedication through the years. He has built a tremendous team and I'm confident in their ability to continue to do great work. While Tom is here today to answer questions, Gregg Kalvin, our long-time controller, will review our financial highlights a little later. Gregg will assume the role of interim CFO on Tom's departure. As for me, I am eager to assume the role of interim CEO. In addition, I will service as the interim President of the Applebee's group, effective today. The Board is effectively working to identify candidates to permanently assume both roles. I am optimistic about the road ahead for DineEquity, IHOP, Applebee's, the entire company, and the experience I bring to…

Thank you, Richard, and good morning. IHOP's comps for fiscal 2016 were essentially flat compared to the highest full-year sales increase in over a decade. However, on a two-year basis IHOP's comp sales were up a strong 4.3. IHOP is not immune to the challenges facing the entire industry. Again, the impact of a steeper decline in family dining traffic in 2016 relative to the prior year was reflected in our performance, particularly in the fourth quarter. Compounding the industry headwinds, we made a shift in our media buying strategy in the fourth quarter that resulted in diluting the reach of our media which adversely impacted our traffic. That change has since been corrected. IHOP's advertising was adjusted with new TV spots emphasizing quality and a focus on our popular all-you-can-eat pancakes promotion for maximum frequency to drive traffic. While we are clearly not content with the brand's recent sales, there are several highlights in 2016 worth noting. Development of an additional 17 net new restaurants globally, representing a 52% increase over 2015. We accelerated our nontraditional development, adding seven new sites while building a dedicated team and a more robust pipeline. We launched the most comprehensive remodel program in the brand's 58-year history, which enhances the dining experience and reflects the ongoing innovation at IHOP. Through the hard work and dedication of so many IHOP franchisees this past year I am very pleased to report that we have achieved our target of 300 remodeled restaurants under the Rise and Shine remodel program. We completed a system-wide launch of an advanced web-based training platform called DinePLATE, which provides more consistent training across our entire system. On National Pancake Day, together with our franchisees, we raised a record $4 million to support the Children's Miracle Network, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and…

Thanks, Darren. I will have a little deeper discussion now of Applebee's. We believe the reason for Applebee's underperforming, even given the weak industry results, involves every aspect of our business from a value perception, marketing, food differentiation, and operations execution. Each of these factors must be and will be addressed. Clearly, what we implemented in 2015 and 2016 did not resonate with our guests and, combined with industry softness, resulted in further sales declines. The hand-cut woodfired grill platform did not have the desired effect and was off target with value-focused trends in the industry. Additionally, our value-oriented promotional campaigns launched during the third and fourth quarters of 2016 did not have the desired impact and exacerbated the sales decline in the fourth quarter. Obviously, we are not immune to the pressures faced by the category during in the fourth quarter, particularly in December, which was the worst for casual dining sales and traffic during 2016. We are working hard to make sure that Applebee's is the first choice of our guests. As referred in our press release, we are making significant investments in our plan to stabilize Applebee's. These investments are primarily in the areas of consumer-focused demand and ensuring franchisee financial health. Regarding consumer-focused demand, we focused on multiple streams of work and building on the strengths of the brand on all fronts to affect positive change. This encompasses a deep dive into our approach to culinary, testing, and marketing. I will provide a little color on each. First, culinary. Culinary innovation is, of course, an important part of our plan. We are making investments to improve food quality, as well as simplifying back-of-the-house efforts to include restaurant operations and execution. As America's number one casual dining restaurant for the last nine consecutive years, our goal is…

Thank you, Richard. Good morning, everyone. I will briefly review our financial highlights and then discuss the state of our Applebee's franchisees before wrapping up with an overview of our financial guidance for fiscal 2017. Let's start with the income statement. For the fourth quarter of 2016, adjusted earnings per share was $1.37 compared to $1.59 for the same period of 2015, mainly driven by lower gross profit. The decline in gross profit was largely driven by a 7.2% decline in Applebee’s comps and the fourth quarter of 2015 having 14 weeks due to the 53rd calendar week, compared to 13 weeks in the fourth quarter of 2016. For fiscal 2016 adjusted earnings per share was $6.01 compared $6.19 in 2015. The decline was primarily due to lower gross profit, driven by the impact of the 53rd calendar week in fiscal 2015, which resulted in an incremental $9.4 million of gross profit for that year and a 5% decline in Applebee’s comps for 2016. The decline in gross profit was partially offset by lower income tax expense and favorability in G&A. Now turning to G&A. G&A for the fourth quarter of 2016 improved by $8 million to approximately $37 million compared to $45 million for the same period last year. The improvement was primarily due to lower incentive compensation due to the soft performance at both brands in 2016 and lower travel and meeting costs due to the timing of our franchisee meetings that were held in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to the third quarter of 2016. G&A for 2016 was nearly $149 million compared to roughly $155 million for 2015. The improvement was largely due to lower incentive compensation costs. In 2016, there were some non-recurring costs related to our restaurant support center consolidation. Roughly $3.3 million…

Okay. Thank you, Gregg. To recap, it’s important to remember that we have two iconic brands that are number one in their respective categories, based on domestic system-wide same-restaurant sales. We are working proactively with our Applebee’s franchisees to address the impact of the still-challenging restaurant environment. At IHOP we have accomplished a great deal in 2016 and we are taking steps to promote sales and traffic momentum. Our highly-franchised model continues to generate strong adjusted free cash flow, enabling investments in growth initiatives as well as returning cash to shareholders. We have a plan in place to drive the business forward and change the trajectory for both plans. Again, I am eager to lead DineEquity and look forward to meeting all of you to further discuss the future of the Company and its prospects. Before I open it up for questions, I would like to address a couple of tax questions that have come to us earlier and I think addressing them right up front makes sense. First is our leverage. There are a number of important covenants in our debt securitization. One, the most important one, is our debt service coverage ratio, or DSCR. A default event would occur if the DSCR is below 1.1 times. At the end of fiscal 2016, our DSCR was 5.1 times, which provides us with more than sufficient cushion. Please refer to our 10-K for any further discussion as to the various covenants and so on. Two is our free cash flow generation. The benefit of our nearly 100% franchised model is that DineEquity’s free cash flow variability is well insulated against changes in same-restaurant sales growth. At the midpoint of our guidance range, we still expect to generate approximately $101 million in free cash flow. Finally, our dividend. Our cumulative dividend of approximately $67 million paid in 2016 can continue to be supported with our current and guided free cash flow. I would like to now, operator, open it up for the Q&A.

Thank you. We will now begin the question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] And our first question comes from Alex Marty from Raymond James.

Good morning, guys. Just a few questions on some of the franchisees. The first one was how often do you guys receive the financials from your franchisees?

Marty, this is Ken. On the IHOP side, we receive that information on a quarterly basis and on the Applebee’s side it’s annually.

Okay, perfect. That’s really helpful. If you could, can you disclose which percentage of the franchise units have around a negative store-level cash flow post royalty?

No, the franchisee financial information is private to them and we wouldn’t give it out, so we will pass on that question. But it’s well in hand.

Sure, completely understand. And one more, if I may. I’ve received this question from some investors about G&A allocation between IHOP and Applebee’s. Can you possibly help with this and specifically in regards to 2017?

This is Gregg. We don’t allocate for public reporting purposes between the two brands. Our G&A, which includes a robust shared service model, supports both brands and the corporate entity at Dine, so we don’t disclose that.

Understood. Thanks, everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you. Our next question comes from Michael Gallo from CL King.

Hi, good morning.

Good morning.

My question is for Richard. Richard, from a high level looking in, I was wondering if you can speak to what you see as the real problem, sort of the top few, that you think you can address at Applebee’s. I was wondering if you can speak to more specificity on the $10 million of investment and how that’s really going to be deployed. Then also obviously, given the projection that same-store sales are going to be down mid to high single-digits again in 2017, I was wondering if you could speak to number of stores up for renewal over the next few years. Thanks.

Okay, that’s quite a list. Stop me if I or remind me if I miss one of them. The big picture on the Applebee’s side truly is one as stepping into this that we have certainly tried very hard to be innovative, imaginative in bringing new products, food, services to the Applebee’s brand. And the reality is they just didn’t resonate with the customer as we had hoped they would. And so we’ve got to go, and we’ve gone back to the drawing board. As I said in my prepared remarks, back through a lot of the basics to reestablish our rapport with those customers. We need to increase their frequency, meaning we need to win some back. But the real key was the efforts we put forth, which were substantial, in hand-cut woodfired and in other innovative techniques to please our customer, just didn’t resonate with that customer base. So it is back to the drawing board, which we’ve done. A lot of the $10 million investment we are making is in the use of outside services to validate what we think went wrong. It’s always good for us to have an independent look at this. We can certainly convince ourselves, but we have retained some top talent to reassess that as well as then chart a better course as to how we test products and how they will be implemented, what our marketing strategies should be. Sharper focus on targeting the customer that is natural to the Applebee’s brand and so on. That’s a real key for us. So a lot of that $10 million is in the outside services, as well as for evaluation and assistance of franchisees who have been hurt by the fact that the sales volume has indeed declined. We’ve hired a firm to assist us in the workout of some of the financial difficulties with those franchisees. I’m sorry, the third one…

The third one was just on what the renewals – my recollection is there is a big bump starting in 2020, but when do the – number of units where renewals come up? And obviously, given your projection that same-store sales are going to be down mid to high single-digits again this year, that probably will put some more strain on the franchising system.

Hi, this is Gregg. I think as we go through with this process, even this year and last year, on this analysis of what the Applebee’s franchisees – those type of things whenever they are up for renewal will be considered, now also. Because if stores are profitable, as we’ve said, it’s likely the renewals would be more favorable to happen. But there are contractual commitments that we’ve outlined that have been filed publicly as to expiration dates of franchise agreements and developed agreements and so forth and that we consider as we go through this analysis as far as analyzing each stores that we would consider. And remember, last year we closed 46 stores in the Applebee’s brand and this year we are projecting at a midpoint to close another 50. And that’s based on detailed analysis, specifically on profitability among other factors.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Our next question comes from Chris O’Cull from KeyBanc Capital Markets. Chris O’Cull: Thanks and good morning guys. Richard, I believe the company has been searching for a concept president for Applebee’s for some time now. Is the Board planning to hire or would they consider hiring a brand president before hiring the CEO of DineEquity?

Good question. There has been an ongoing search for an Applebee’s president, as you say, and we are very close to having an individual in place for the Applebee’s presidency. It will be in place prior to a CEO being retained, if everything works out. There’s always the issue of the chicken and egg, which we will hire first. But, candidly, if we had already had an Applebee’s president and a new CEO would be coming in then there would be new brand presidents in the business. So the urgency, truly, of having an Applebee’s president overrides the necessity of the CEO search being placed ahead of that. Chris O’Cull: Can you remind me what positions are open for – within the Applebee’s concept or with their brand? I can’t remember if the CMO position – are there other positions that that new president is going to need to fill when they come onboard?

One of the key ones that is being filled right now, which is not truly a position, it’s a new ad agency. And that is scheduled for selection here very shortly. Again, very acute need for a new ad agency and so on; so that is open. There is a – the CMO position, there is a strong candidate that is there now and, clearly, the Applebee’s president has some flexibility as to roles. But we don’t have any significant numbers of open positions to fill at Applebee’s. Chris O’Cull: Okay, thanks. Then I believe many of the franchisees financed their purchases of restaurants a few years back, either from the company or from franchisees, through leasing obligations. Is there any concern that these leases could make it difficult for Applebee’s to or the system to close restaurants that need to be closed?

Fair question and that is something that has to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. I think the economics surrounding that are certainly a bit different than when – than if those leases did not exist. But, yes, that will be part and parcel of a looksie, you bet. Chris O’Cull: Okay. Then, Gregg, just my last question. You mentioned that you collect financial information from Applebee’s franchisees on an annual basis, but I know the Company is also the guarantee of some lease obligations. Do you collect information more often from those franchise groups? And, if so, can you give us any color as to the financial help of some the franchisees?

Well, we touched on our comments earlier about the financial health, Richard did. As far as the leasing obligations, we have had those on each refranchising deal that we’ve done since the acquisition. We have inherited certain financial obligations on the leases. And to date we, frankly, never have paid out on any of those because there are certain backstops just in back of those financial obligations before we get to that. We’ve successfully, as far as closures go, have not had that be an issue. With that said, as Richard said, we look at each situation differently and we would consider how we’d work out the lease if we should close a store, for example. Including the projected stores that were targeted for this year.

I’d like to add to Gregg’s comment. Clearly, on the IHOP side of the business the robustness of the financial review of the IHOP franchises has always been stronger. They’re a larger group. There is anywhere from one store to 100 stores. So it’s a much different group of people versus the Applebee’s franchisees who are a smaller group, much more financially sophisticated group. And so historically the amount of financial review at Applebee’s was less than IHOP. As I indicated in my remarks though, this year we have embarked on a much more robust review of the franchisees at Applebee’s, as well as a store-by-store analysis to further assist them. And that will probably be an ongoing issue. It’s a change in the approach on the Applebee’s side.

Chris, this is Ken; just to add to that. With regard to closures, there’s several criteria to look at in addition to operating results, so it’s not just financial. Chris O’Cull: Great. Thanks, guys.

Thank you.

Thank you. Next we have Steve Anderson from Maxim Group.

I have a couple of questions on the comp guidance that you are providing for 2017. I don’t know if you can speak at all about the quarterly comp guidance. I’m assuming, both for Applebee’s and for IHOP, you are expecting maybe the weaker comps to occur early in 2017. And the follow-up on IHOP as well. Just I wanted to see what our basis is for an acceleration in comp, say, to about the 2% to 3% range and how you think you’ll get there.

This is Darren. On the comps for 2017, we said we were guiding between zero and 3%, not 2% and 3%.

Okay, for the full year, yes.

Yes, for the full year. So we don’t typically forecast that on a quarter-to-quarter basis. We’re expecting to gain that acceleration through our new marketing platform that I mentioned earlier as well as the strategic initiatives that we will be implementing throughout the year.

Okay. And also with. I’m sorry to interrupt.

Just wanted to say that in our – regarding the first quarter, that’s obviously considered in the full-year guidance and we don’t give intraquarter guidance. But we’ve looked at the first two months obviously and built that in to what we’ve disclosed in the press release today.

Okay. With regards to your comment earlier about value not just being in price, I’ve seen some of your peers have done some very price-targeted promotions, usually around the $10 level. I think I’ve even seen at Applebee’s having a $9.99 lunch promotion. I know you’ve said the value not being in price is a chief construct, but do you think that perhaps having that definite price point may be something you might have – your customers would be attracted to? Is that something that may be considered as part of an overall value strategy?

Good point. Price is always going to be a very important factor in determining the consumer’s value proposition. I think Applebee’s has, rightfully so, always attempted and has succeeded in creating value out of the atmosphere, the location, the convenience, the service, the operational expertise, and so on. But price is always a leading indicator, as you’d say, so, yes, price is still going to have to be a key feature here.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. And our next question comes from John Ivankoe from JPMorgan.

Thank you. This is Michael on for John. I appreciate the conversation around leverage and covenants. I was wondering if you expect to pay any principle in 2017 and 2018, given some of the amortization covenants you have on your debt security.

This is Gregg. Not currently, no. We are in compliance with our covenants below the level that we would payout, the 1% that I think you’re referring to, of our debt. So we don’t anticipate that right now.

Great, thank you. And just a follow – just another question, a housekeeping one. In your guidance for cash flow from operations what are you assuming for deferred tax cash outflows this year?

Similar to 2015 and 2016, which were consistent at about $50 million. It’s comprised of about three different items, but that will obviously move over to the current side and get paid out.

2014 was sort of an anomaly because there was recognition of gift card income due to cards that were not redeemed within one year.

Thank you.

Thank you. We have no further questions. I will now turn the call back to Richard Dahl for closing remarks.

Thank you again for joining us on the call today. We are scheduled to report the results of the first quarter on May 3. Certainly, if you have any questions in the interim, please feel free to contact Gregg, Ken, or myself. And thank you all for your support over the years.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today’s conference. Thank you for your participation, you may now disconnect.